Typewriting-machine



W. L. GUMPRECHT.

TYPEWRITIN'G MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1911.

Patented Aug. 23,

Affome UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. oomrimcarg or ammonia,

COMPUTING MACHINE COMPANY, or NEW YORK,

YORK.

TYPEWRITING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Iatent. Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

Application filed March 22, 1917. Serial No. 156,595.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GUM- rREoHT, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Type'writing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in typewriting machines, and is herein illustrated as applied to a combined typewriting and computing machine, and more especially to means for preventing a premature tabulating movement from one zone to another zone, that is, to prevent such movement until a letter-space 'or digit-space movement of the carriage, incident to the previous striking of an alphabet key or numeral key, has beenrcompleted.

It may happen that where the operative strikes a tabulating key too soon after striking the last character key in a column or zone just written, the carriage feeds an extra or spurious letter-space movement when it arrives at the new zone or major column. This extra feeding arises, in the Underwood typewritin machine'structure, from the fact that the so id dog of the typewriter holds the typewriter carriage during part of the depression and early return stroke of a key, with the result that the depression of a tabulating key at this time may catch the loose dog behind the escapement Wheel, thereby letting the carriage feed a letter-space before the loose dog catches the wheel, this being in addition to the usual letter-space after the loose dog catches. In other words, the overlapping of the action of a character key into the period of action of the tabulating key might bring about an incorrect selection of the desired computing decimal column at the beginning of the new zone. Such an incorrect decimal column selection of the mechanism might cause both erroneous typewriting and the running up of the digit into the WI'OIlg computing wheel, because the typist often writes the next character before lookin at the position of the carriage.

In order to avoid such mistakes, a lock is provided for preventing the actuation of any tabulating ke until the usual carriage-escapement mec anism has returned to its normal position, which willbe at a time when the carriage has completed a letter-space movement. To do this as herein illustrated,

a part ofthe mechanism'in the application of Henry L. Pitman, No. 81,574, filed March 2, 1916 (now Patent No. 1,345,102, dated June 29, 1920), on which this case is shown as an lmprovement, is employed. In that case the escapement mechanism for the carnage, or, stated more exactly, the loose dog, controlled the full-stroke mechanism for the numeral keys. This mechanism insured the complete depression and return of an'actuated numeral key from the rocker carrying the fast and loose dogs of the escapement mechanism, and also efi'ected locking of the numeral keys'upon release of the loose dog from the tension exerted thereon by the carriage, when such release was produced by a return movement of the carriage due, for example, to the action of the back-spacing mechanism.

In the present disclosure, a blocking pro-' is operated in the usual way when any one of the decimal-tabulating keys is operated to disconnect the carriage from the escapement mechanism.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawin s,

Figure 1 is a vertical section rom front to rear, with parts omitted to simplify the showing.

F i 2 is a skeleton perspective view, showing t e escapement mechanism in a position in which it would be before a type-bar, such as a numeral t pe-bar, is raised to strike the platen with the loose dog in engagement with the escapement wheel. In this position, the locking projection is idle and does flot prevent the actuation of the tabulating eys.

Alphabet keys 1 and numeral keys 2 depress key-levers 3 and rock bell-cranks 4, so as to swing type-bars 5 up rearwardly against the front side of a laten 6 mounted to rotate on a carriage 7. he carriage 7 is given a step-by-ste letter-space movement due to the pull 0 a spring-barrel 8 .con

trolled by an escapement mechanism, indicated in general at 9. The escapement mechanism includes a rack bar 10 pivotally connected to the carriage 7 by means of arms 11, so as to swing into and out of engagement with a pinion 12. The rack bar 10 is normally in engagement with the pinion 12, but is capable of being disengaged therefrom when moving the carriage by hand a number of letter-spaces in a letter-feeding direction,

or when jumping the carriage a number of letter-spaces from zone to zone by tabulating mechanism.

The pinion 12 is controlled in its movement by an escapement wheel 13, to which it is connected by a one-way pawl-and-ratchet mechanism 14, Fig. 2. The escapement wheel 13 is controlled in its intermittent movement by a pair of dogs 15 and 16 carried by a rocker 17. The rocker 17 is moved rearwardly at each stroke of a character key by means of a universal frame 18 engaged by a heel 19 provided on each of the typebars 5. The universal frame 18 is returned by a spring 20 with the return of the character ke actuated. This is the usual action of the nderwood typewriting escapement, but as its mechanism cooperates with the present invention, the action will be described a little more in detail.

The dog 15 is a fixed dog, while the dog 16 is a loose dog. That is to say, the dog 15 is rigid with the rocker 17 so as to positively lntercept the escapement wheel 13 when brought in engagement therewith by a backward motion of the rocker 17 and the universal frame 18. Normally the dog 15 occupies the position shown in Fig. 1, with the loose dog 16, which is pivoted to the rocker, as indicated in Fig. 2, in engagement with the escapement wheel. The loose dog, in this position, is limited by a stop 21 rigid with the rocker 17 When the universal frame 18 is moved rearwardly at the down-stroke of a character key, the fixed dog 15 is moved from its Fig. 1 position to its rearmost position in obstructing engagement with the escapement wheel13. The loose dog 16 escapes the tooth of the escapement wheel 13, with which it was in engagement, and is drawn by a spring 22 a distance sufiicient to catch the next tooth on the escapement wheel.

Then, when the rocker 17 returns, the loose dog 16 controls the escapement wheel by obstructing the movement thereof, but inasmuch as it has moved into engagement with the tooth in advance of the tooth with which it was previously in engagement, it will be swung against the tension of its spring 22 until its further movement is prevented by the stop 21, thus permitting a step movement of the escapement wheel 13 and a letter-space movement of the carriage.

- In addition to letter-space movements, the

carriage may also have jump or tabulating movements to skip over intervening letterspaces from zone to zone, or from major column to major column. For this purpose, there are provided a series of decimal tabulating keys 23, which, when depressed, rock key levers 24 to thrust up plungers 25. Thus, when any one of the tabulating keys is depressed, it brings its plun er 25 to a projecting position where it wil lie in the path of the next one of a series of carriage stops 26, adjustably mounted at letter-space intervals on a rack 27 carried b the carriage 7. In this way, the jumpmg of the carriage, from zone to zone, and to a particular decimal column or letter-space in a zone, is determined according to the particular decimal tabulating key 23 actuated.

In addition to writing digits, the numeral keys 2 control the computing operation in a manner more particularly described in application No. 81,574,above-mentioned. Considering this computing mechanism briefly, each numeral key 2 has on its lever 3 a cam plate 28, which swings a frame 29 an amount corresponding to the particular numeral key actuated. That is to say, the cam slots 30 of the plates 28 are graded in their form, so as to swing the frame 29, gradually increasing the amounts from a minimum for the 1 numeral ke to a maximum for the 9 numeral key, fbrming an indexing or valuating mechanism.

The frame 29 has a pin 31 which normally engages in a socket 32 provided in an actuator' 33. The actuator 33 comprises an interponent 34 loosely pivoted on a rock lever 35, and yieldingly held with its socket 32 in engagement with the pin 31 by means of a spring 36. This mechanism is such that the computing mechanism can be disconnected from the numeral keys, as when if is not desired to compute, and also when writing upper-case characters by the numeral keys. This silencing mechanism is not directly connected'to the present invention, and so will not be described.

The actuator 33, when rocked an amount corresponding to the numeral key actuated, draws down on a link 36*, so as to rock a bell-crank 37. This bell-crank advances a driving rack-bar 38 an amount corresponding to the numeral key actuated. The driving rack-bar rotates a gear 39 which is con nected through a train of gearing 40 to drive a master wheel .41. Normally the rack-bar 38 is in engagement with the gear 39, and is carried forward while still in engagement therewith at the strikin of the numeral key, but at the end of the icy-stroke is carried out of engagement by means of a linkage 42 operated from, the escapement rocker 17, which has a forked arm 43 engaging the linkage 42 for this purpose. This mechanism is more particularly described in the application above-mentioned, and merely explained in neral here, so as to connect the present invention with the previous improvements.

The master wheel 41 is stationary, but is arranged to drive successively a series of computing wheels 44, which drive dial wheels 45, so as to exhibit the numbers computed through a sight-opening in the casing of a totalizer 46. The totalizer 46 is connected to the carriage 7, so as to have a step-by-step movement therewith, and thus bring the successive computing and dial wheels into register individually with the master wheel 41. This connection includes a spring-pressed latch 47 which may be adjustably engaged between any two of aseries of teeth at letter-space intervals on a rack 48 secured to the carriage 7.

In computing a plurality of columns or zones, a number of totalizers 46, corresponding to the zones computed in, may be used,

or a plurality of master wheels 41, and the same totalizer brought into successive en gagement with the several master wheels corresponding to the particular type of work being done. At any rate, a. relative zonal movement between the tota-lizers and the master wheel or master wheels is obtained concomitantly with the zonal movement of the carriage, so that a series of horizontal or vertical columns can be computed at the same time that they are typewritten. Inasmuch as the decimal column and denomination of the typewriting and computing mechanism is determined by the tabulating mechanism, if through a too ra id operation thereof, the action of the tabu ating mechanism should overlap the action of the escapement mechanism, then an incorrect position of the carriage and the traveling parts of the computing mechanism. might occur, which, if unobserved, would cause an incorrect typewriting of the digits and a running-up of the digits into the wrong computing wheels. In order to avoid such possibility, the tabulating mechanism is locked against operation whenever the escapement mechanism has been but partially actuated, corresponding toan incomplete escapement movement of the carriage.

For this purpose, use is made of the re lease which disconnects the carriage 7 from I the escapement when tabulating. That is to say, each of the tabulating plungers 25 is provided with a shelf 49 formed by notches in the plungers 25 to engage and operate The lever 54 has a roller 55 at its front end engaging under the rack 10 so as to raise the sameout of mesh with the pinion 12. Thus the carriage can be drawn by its springbarrel 8 a major amount until the next succeeding stop 26 comes. into engagement with the projected plunger 25.

The shaft 51, which is rocked at this time, is also provided with a locking arm 56, which, if the escapement mechanism is still in action, will prevent the rocking of the shaft 51 and thus prevent the action of the plungers 25 and the tabulating keys .23. This is done by a projection 57 underlying an extension 58 on the locking arm 56. The projection 57 is formed on a bell-crank 58 which is normally held, when the carriage is at rest and no character key actuated, with the projection 57 out of reach of theextension 58 of the locking arm 56.

Indirectly the carriage spring holds the projection 57- in its non-locking position. That is to say, the bell-crank 58 is connected by a link 59 to a follower 60 in the form of a bell-crank, having one arm connected to the link 59 and the other arm engaging the back of the loose dog 16. The follower 60 is pivoted to the rocker 17, and swings back and forth with the loose dog 16 during an escapeme-nt movement of the rocker.

Normally the parts are in the position seen in Fig. 1, with the escapement wheel 13 engaging the loose dog and-holding both the loose dog and the follower 60 against the stop 21, which corresponds to the normal position of the escapement mechanism, a stationary condition of the carriage so far as the escapement is concerned, and a nonlocking position of the projection 57.

When the rocker. 17 moves to bring the fixed dog'15 into engagement with the escapement' wheel, the loose dog 16 is released and advances under the pull of its spring 22 to a, position to engage the next escapement tooth. At this time, the follower 60 moves up with the loose dog 16 due to the action of a spring 61 connected to the bell-crank 58*. When moved in this way, the projection or obstruction 57 is brought to an interfering position underlying the extension 58 on the locking arm 56, thus preventing any possible action of the tabulatin mechanism at this time when an incomp. ete actilon of the escapement mechanism has taken p ace.

When the escapement mechanism returns to its normal position, bringing the loose dog into engagement with the escapement wheel, the carriage spring which is the stronger, will operate, advancing the carriage a letter-space, rocking the loose dog 16 backward, carrying withit the follower 60, and thus withdrawing the obstruction 57 from beneath the extension 58 on the locking arm 56. Under these circumstances,

any one of the tabulating keys can be operated as desired, giving a zonal movement to the carriage and to the totalizeis, which will be a correct one inasmuch as there is no overlapping of the escapement and tabulat ing actions.

Incidentally, the same bell-crank 58, which carries the projecting obstruction 57, operates through a linkage 62 a full-stroke double-acting pawl mechanism 63 which engages alternately on the' down and upstrokes with oppositely-facing racks 64 and 65 provided on a hanger 66 on each of the numeral'keys 2. This mechanism is more particularly described in the application above-mentioned, and insures that the numeral keys be completely operated, so that there will be no eror in the typewriting and computing. This operation is thus also controlled from the rocking frame of the esca ement mechanism.

t will thus be seen that the tabulating mechanism cannot be operated when the escapement mechanism has made but a part of its action in spacing after writing the last digit in the zone, and further that the tabulating mechanism will not overlap the letterspace movement of the carriage, so that in jumping from zone to zone, both the carriage and the totalizers will be properly positioned, as selected by the tabulating keys,

to write in the correct digit column at the beginning of the new zone.

Also, as brought out in said application of Pitman, movement of the loose dog 16 by its spring 22 and consequent shifting of follower 60 may be obtained whenthe escapement wheel 13 is relieved from the tension of the spring-barrel 8 by movement of the carriage in the return direction. Under such conditions, locking of both the numeral keys and the tabulating keys would be effected.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the im rovements may be used without others.

aving thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a machine of the character described a key controlled step-by-step escapement mechanism, tabulating mechanism and an interlocking element for preventing the operation of the tabulating mechanism after a key has released the escapement and until said-key has practically finished its return movement, said interlocking element being so connected to the key as to remain stationary during part of the return movement of the key.

2. The combination with a travelin typewriter carriage, of escapement mec anism controlling step-by-step movements of said keys, tabulating mechanism for controllingump movements of said carriage for zonal selections, and a connection governed by said escapement mechanism, 0 erating said full-stroke mechanism and ocking said tabulating mechanism when said escapement mechanism is in action.

3. The combination with a traveling carriage, of an escapement mechanism controlling step-by-step movements of said carriage, including a loose dog having reciproeating movements during an escapement action of said escapement mechanism, tabulating mechanism for controlling jump movements of said carriage, a locking arm operated when said tabulating mechanism is operated, a follower moving .back and forth with said loose dog, a link operated by said follower, a bell-crank operated by said link, and an obstruction on said bell-crank moved, when said loose dog is released, to an interfering position with respect to said locking arm, so as to prevent an operation of said tabulating mechanism.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of an escapement mechanism for controlling stepby-step movements of said carriage, keys controlling said escapement mechanism, tabulating mechanism for controlling jump movements of said carriage, an arm operated when said tabulating mechanism is operated, an obstruction for said arm, and means normally tending to move said obstruction into the path of said arm, to prevent its movement, said obstruction-moving means being under the control of said escapement mechanism whereby, after actuation of a key, no action of said tabulating mechanism can occur until the escapement mechanism has completed its movement.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of an escapement mechanism for controlling stepby-step movements of said carriage, numeral keys controlling said esca ement mechanism, said escapement mechanism including a loose dog, a follower connected to move with said loose dog, tabulating mechanism for controllin jump movements of said carriage, a loc 'n arm connected to move with said tabulating mechanism, and an obstruction controlled in its movement by said loose dog through the intermediary of said follower acting to come in the way of said locking arm when said escapement mechanism is in action.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a travelin carriage, of an escapement mechanism or controlling step-bystep movements of said carriage, numeral keys for controlling said escapement mecha- .nism, a tabulating mechanism for controlling ump movements of said carriage including a release arranged to disconnect said carriage from said escapement mechanism, and locking means 'for preventing the release of said carriage from said escapement mechanism while said escapement mechanism is in action under the control of a key, the locking element of said locking means remaining stationary during the return movement of the key.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of an escapement mechanism for controlling step-by-step movements of said carriage, keys controlling said escapement mechanism, decimal-tabulating mechanism controlling zonal and digit column selections or major movements of said carriage, said decimal-tabulating mechanism including a series of plungers, a locking member universal to all of said plungers operated when any one of them-is actuated, obstructing means to cooperate with said locking member, and a spring tending to move said obstructing means to position to cooperate with said locking member, said escapement mechanism, when actuated by a key, permitting said spring to act, said escapement mechanism also moving said 0bstructing means to normal position against the tension of said spring as said escapement mechanism completes its movement.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of an escapement mechanism for controlling step-bystep movements of said carriage, keys controlling said escapement mechanism, tabulating mechanism for controlling jump movements of said carriage, including a series of plungers, an arm universal to all of said plungers operated when any one of said plungers is operated, a locking arm connected to be rocked by said universal arm and having an extension thereon, and a bellcrank having a projection thereon and connected to be operated when said escapement mechanism is operated, to bring said projection into the path of said extension so as to prevent the actuation of an of said plungers, and thus of said tabulating mechanism during the movement of said escapement mechanism under the control of a key.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of'an escapement mechanism for said carriage includin an escapement wheel and a loose dog, sai dog normally holding said wheel from movement, tabulatin mechanism including keys for controlling ump movements of said carriage, and means controlled from the loose dog of said escapement mechanism for preventing movement of a tabulator key until the loose dog returns to normal position.

10. The combination with a traveling carriage, of means urging said carriage in letterfeed direction, a carriage-escapement mechanism including a loose dog and a spring urging said loose dog in 0 position to said urging means, by which it is normally overcome, tabulating means, and means controlled by said loose dog to prevent actuation of said tabulating means.

11. The combination with a traveling carria e, of'means urging the same in letter- 'fee direction, a carriage-escapement mechanism including a loose dog normally efiective to hold said carriage against the action of said urging means, keys for actuating said escapement mechanism, tabulatin means, and means whereby actuation of said tabulating means may be prevented when said loose dog is relieved from the tension exerted b said ur in means.

LLIA GUMPREGHT.

Witnesses:

SHIRLEY E. GLEDHILL, WILLIAM P. SMITH. 

